Newsletters

25/26 - Spring 1, Week 6

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Dear parents and carers,

I want to begin by saying that the purpose of this newsletter is not to preach or judge. The points below are shared because they directly relate to keeping children safe, healthy and able to learn well. This includes their safety online, their physical wellbeing and the practical safety of our school site. All of this sits firmly within our school vision of supporting pupils to be successful, healthy, fulfilled and empowered.

Safer Internet Day

Tuesday 10th February marked Safer Internet Day. We were delighted to welcome back Amit Kalley, who led age-appropriate sessions for all of our pupils on staying safe online.

These sessions covered a wide range of issues, including screen time, online gaming and the use of social media. While the sessions were extremely valuable, it was also concerning to hear how many children reported feeling very tired in the mornings, experiencing sore eyes, and spending long periods online late into the evening.

More worrying still was the number of children, including those in our youngest year groups, who openly shared that they have access to mobile phones and social media platforms. No primary-age child should be using social media. Sadly, we have dealt with numerous serious incidents over time, some involving social services and the police, where children have come to harm through apps and online platforms.

We were also troubled to hear children explain that some accounts had been set up for them by adults, including being told to enter false ages to access platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok. I cannot stress strongly enough how unsafe this is for children.

We ask all parents and carers to take this seriously. Please review your child’s online access, remove social media apps, set clear screen-time limits and ensure appropriate parental controls are in place. Online safety is a shared responsibility, and we cannot keep children safe without your support. 

I would also like thank all of the parents who joined our online session - we hope you found this informative and useful.

Morning Access to the School Site

We also need to address ongoing concerns about vehicle access to the school site in the mornings.

We know many families make use of our free Breakfast Club and the Sun and Moon provision. However, a number of parents are choosing to drive down the access road rather than parking on Ford Road and walking down. This creates significant congestion at an already very busy time.

Staff are trying to access Ford Road Nursery, Village Infant School and William Ford, alongside delivery vehicles for the kitchen and other services. Vehicles driving in the opposite direction are causing unnecessary traffic issues. We are also finding that parents are using the staff car park, which prevents staff from parking safely and on time.

Please note the following:

  • No parent should access the school car park at the start of the school day. This space is for staff only.

  • This access will soon be camera-controlled, and unauthorised vehicles may receive a council-issued fine of £80 to £160.

  • Ford Road offers free parking until 8:30am, allowing parents to park and walk their children down. The walk takes no more than one minute.

After 5:00pm, when collecting from Sun and Moon after school club, this restriction does not apply.

Healthy Snacks and Packed Lunches

Finally, we need to revisit expectations around snacks and packed lunches.

We have previously shared that NHS data places our pupils in the top 10% nationally for childhood obesity, based on Year 6 height and weight checks. We are increasingly concerned about the volume of unhealthy snacks being brought into school and the contents of some lunchboxes.

Children should not be bringing crisps, sweets or chocolate into school. Please also be aware that some children are visiting local shops on their way to school, and staff are monitoring this closely.

Unhealthy food choices affect not only physical health, but also concentration, energy levels and learning in the afternoons. Staff have been asked to be firmer with this and unhealthy snacks may now be confiscated during playtimes.

We understand that the occasional treat is normal and acceptable. This is not about removing enjoyment, but about addressing patterns of consistently unhealthy food that are impacting children’s wellbeing and learning.

Below is an example of what a healthy packed lunch might look like.

I pray you all have a wonderful weekend.

 

Mr. David Huntingford

Headteacher

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As a school we have been learning Makaton to support all our learners. Each week Ms Rugg teaches the whole school a new sign to learn in collective worship and we would like to share the sign here with you so you can learn along too. If you would like to find out more about Makaton, visit their website here: www.makaton.org  

 

Many reminders for parents over the holiday

  • Please remember to access your Parentpay to clear any arrears.
  • We have had a number of reports from parents of head lice, please check and treat your children hair.
  • on Friday 20th February we will receive another delivery from the Felix Project. Texts will be sent when the delivery arrives.

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Year Three

Philip

Year Four

Tiana

Year Five

Chidera

Year Six

Kayla

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A Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong 

 

This is a fun book to read, Streaker the dog needs to be trained by her owner because she runs too fast and causes a whirlwind of events. 

 

Elsie-Lou 3F 

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Half Term
All Day
from 16 Feb until 20 Feb
16
February
Community Foodbank Distribution delivery - February Half Term 2026
9:00am – 12:30pm
20
February
Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
24
February
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
24
February
National Offer Day - evening - Secondary Places
6:00pm – 10:00pm
02
March
Swimming Y5 Group 1
9:00am – 10:30am
03
March
Swimming Y5 Group 2
9:45am – 11:45am
03
March
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13 Feb 2026
Safer Internet Day: Helping Children Navigate the Online World
  As part of our ongoing work to safeguard children and support their wellbeing, we held an interactive session with Amit Kalley, exploring how life online affects young people today. The aim was to help students think about their digital habits, understand the...
Read more
13 Feb 2026
Inspiring Visit from Rapper, Musician & Poet Christian Foley
We were thrilled to welcome Christian Foley to our school this week! Christian, a renowned rapper, musician, poet, writer and educator, delivered an energetic and inspiring whole-school assembly that captivated everyone from Year 3 to Year 6. With his fast-paced freestyling and lyrical creativi...
Read more
06 Feb 2026
Brilliant Club at Goldsmiths
This week, Ryan tells us about their trip to Goldsmiths University
Read more
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Year Three

What a great week in year 3, the children have worked hard showing great enthusiasm and curiosity.  

What we have learnt about this week 

The week the children had fun planning, writing and performing their own versions of The Sound Collector poem in English. In maths, children were learning about money, converting from p to £ as well as adding and subtracting amounts. Children in science explored soils and learnt about what makes soil. In RE children learned about The Passover and how it is celebrated. In PSHE, as part of Children’s Mental Health Week, children created their own island showing all the places and activities that help them to feel like they belong.  

What we will learn about next week 

After the half term, children will be looking at a new book for reading and English. Here Comes Hercules will be the focus text for their writing. In maths, children will apply their understanding of adding and subtracting money to find the change from given amounts. In science, children will begin the new unit on forces and magnets. In RE, children will be learning about the Synagogue through an exciting virtual workshop. During the first week back, children will begin to undertake their Spring assessments for reading, spelling, grammar and maths.  

Thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a restful and enjoyable break.  

Year Four 

It has been another great week in year 4. The children have worked incredibly hard showing great determination.  

What we have learnt about this week 

This week, the children have been identifying the perimeter on a grid, a rectangle and rectilinear shapes. In English, they have been drawing their own map based on their class text ‘How To Train Your Dragon’. In Science, children have continued to learn about their sound unit and have been understanding how they hear sound.   

What we will learn about next week 

After half term, we will be looking at our new unit of electricity where children will be identifying common appliances that turn on electricity. In R.E, as we approach Easter, we will be looking at the Easter story and sequencing The Last Supper. In History, children will be discovering why people stopped using Bronze and started using iron.  

We hope you have a beautiful half term. Well done for all the hard work. During the first week back, children will undertake their Spring assessments.   

Please remind children to bring in empty plastic bottles for our science unit.

Year Five

This week in Year 5, the pupils have been finishing up lots of our units, including English, Reading, Maths and Science. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week in English and Reading, the pupils finished their unit on Beowulf, resulting in writing and Epic Adventure story and taking part in a story-telling afternoon, where the pupils were able to share their stories, in the style of entertainment in the Anglo-Saxon times. 

In maths, pupils finished their unit on fractions. 

In Science, pupils completed their science mantle project, by creating parachutes out of a variety of materials. After creating the parachutes, pupils attached them to their soldiers (Lego characters) and then we carried out a science experiment, to test whether the size of the surface area of the parachute affected the time it took to fall to the ground. 

What we will learn about next week 

We hope you have a wonderful half term break, make sure you get some rest and come back ready for the next half term. We will be doing some assessments in English, Maths and Reading after the half term break, so ensure you are prepared for that. 

Year Six

It has been another fantastic week in Year 6 – the children have worked incredibly hard and continue to show great maturity in their learning. 

What we have learnt about this week 

This week in Maths, the children have been developing their understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages, making links between the three and applying their knowledge to a range of reasoning and problem-solving tasks. In English, we have completed and edited our hotel reviews, ensuring they are engaging, well-structured and persuasive. In Grammar, we have also been learning about active and passive voice and how these choices can affect the tone and formality of writing. 

In Science, we have continued our investigation into Light as part of the William Ford Crime Lab. The children have been applying their scientific knowledge to analyse evidence, and our investigation will shortly conclude. In History, we have been learning about crime and punishment in the medieval era, exploring how justice was carried out and how it compares to modern systems. 

What we will learn about next week 

In English, we will begin a new genre – poetry. Pupils will take on the role of civil rights activists, using powerful language and poetic devices to express key messages and themes. In Maths, we will continue working on fractions, decimals and percentages during the first part of the week, further strengthening fluency and application. In R.E., as we approach Easter, our focus will be on Salvation and its significance within Christianity. Furthermore, Year 6 have been given a fantastic opportunity to take part in kayaking as part of their enrichment curriculum. This is an exciting experience that will help develop teamwork, resilience and confidence. 

A letter has been sent home with full details. Please ensure you read the information carefully and return the permission slip promptly so your child is able to attend. 

Well done Year 6 – keep up the excellent work! 

 

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Each week, staff select two children from each class who have shown effort and commitment to upholding an aspect of our school vision, shown at the bottom of the page. Congratulations to this week’s ‘stars of the week’ for their tremendous endeavours!